There is absolutely nothing I can do to earn my way into the family of God. Make a list of the best of humanity throughout history. Is there anyone who never did one wrong thing, thought one wrong thought, spoke one word amiss … ? Only Jesus, who loved us so much he became one of us for 33 years–the infinite squeezed himself into our feeble, limited form–lived perfectly, then died horribly and suffered hell for us. It didn’t end there. He paid for my already-committed sins and those I will commit every day of my life as long as I live–as well as everyone else’s. All because He loves us so much, you and I have a username and password that lets us enter His presence.
Colossians 2:10-12 (New Living Translation)
So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. W
When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything. Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ.
Colossians 2:10-12 (New Living Translation)So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. W
hen you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
Colossians 2:10-12 (The Message)When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything. Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ.
Kathleen S Evenhouse 
